I can’t believe it but it’s almost time for kiddies and young people to go back to school. Of course I’ve been out of school for over a year but it’s hard to escape the back-to-school mentality that takes over our culture every August. Personally I love it! As much as I love summer vacation, I always got a bit pumped up to get back into the classroom. Each year at the end of summer vacation I found myself watching certain movies to get me in the mood for months of studying and essay writing. Here are my favourites:

1. Rushmore

This is the story of a student named Max Fisher who attends the elite Rushmore Academy on a scholarship. Unfortunately Max spends all his time doing extracurricular activities instead of studying. After he pulls a grand stunt in the hopes of impressing a young teacher, he is kicked out and forced to go to public school all the while competing with his mentor (played by Bill Murray) for the affections of said teacher.

2. Strike! (aka All I Wanna Do)

In 1963 a young woman is forced to attend an all girls boarding school after her parents find out that she planned on having sex with her boyfriend. She quickly falls in with a group of girls who try to save their school when they find out that it will be merging with the nearby boys school due to a lack of funds.

3. Dead Poets Society

There’s not much you can say about this one. Robin Williams plays an English teacher who inspires his students to think outside the box and question everything.

4. Mona Lisa Smile

This one is a bit like Dead Poets Society. Julia Roberts plays an art professor at Wellesley College who quickly realizes that while her students are brilliant, most of them are just biding their time until they can get married. She encourages them to look for fulfillment beyond marriage and family and reach their full potential.

5. Legally Blonde

This one is a classic. A girl who appears to be a dumb blonde decides to go to Harvard Law School in an attempt to win back her ex-boyfriend. But along the way she learns that she actually has what it takes to be a kickass law student and that she deserves way more than what her ex had to offer.

I have a confession to make: even though it’s July and I love summer especially because it’s so short lived I can’t stop thinking about autumn. I blame this on Pinterest. Suddenly I started seeing fall themed pins showing up on my page. It wasn’t much at first. A Halloween door decor pin here, a Thanksgiving centrepiece there. But soon I found myself searching “fall” and “Halloween” on Pinterest. Then while browsing Breakfast at Toast I discovered that Williams Sonoma already has their fall line available. Before I knew it I was searching for my other favourite sign of fall: the home scent line from Bath & Body Works. Last year I went completely bonkers over their Fall/Halloween line. I bought FOUR candle holders, which included a Halloween scene, Frankenstein, pumpkin and skeleton, and a multitude of scented candles with names like “Creamy Pumpkin” and “Spiced Apple Cider”.

And since Canadian Thanksgiving falls on the second Monday of October, I’m also pondering what to put on the menu this year. I’ve been trying to think up the perfect vegetable side dish (brussels sprouts? glazed green beans?) and am considering making both a pecan tart and a chocolate pumpkin cake for dessert.

I’m not sure what has brought this on. After all, I know that I have an idealized image of fall (sweaters, fall colours, beautiful weather that only requires a cardigan or light jacket) that very rarely comes to fruition. Maybe it’s because I’m an October baby. But for whatever reason, and despite my attempts to live in the present, I can’t stop dreaming about fall.

About Me

My name is Kirthan and this is my little corner of the internet where I write about pop culture, fashion, beauty, life as a plus size woman and whatever is on my mind.